Here are 10 Facts About Me you Probably Didn't Know (and maybe some you already did):

1. I am originally from New England, and moved to the DC metro area in 2012. I currently live in a small town in Western Loudoun County, and I truly love where I live. The mountains, the farms, the wineries...I love it all. But as much as I love it here, I feel most at home when I return to the rocky coasts of Maine. The majority of my family still lives on Coastal Maine, and I take any chance I can get to get back up there. I love hearing the crashing waves, smelling the salty air, and the muted colors of a foggy day. I feel most like myself, and most at peace when I'm sitting on the rocks next to the ocean.

2. The greatest thing that has ever happened to me was becoming a mother. I have 3 children (2 boys- ages 6 & 4, and a girl who is days away from turning 2). They are my everything. Not every day is easy, 3 young kids without any family nearby and a husband who works long hours and running a business, but they are worth it. So so so so worth it!!!! I can't imagine a day without them.

3. My husband and I met way back in high school. We went to different schools in the same town and had a lot of mutual friends. After school ended, we went our separate ways, and we re-met at a funeral of one of our mutual friends about 6 years later. The rest was history. Fun fact: My mother and step father re-met at a funeral too!

4. I am extremely sentimental. I love traditions and telling/hearing family stories, I love having mementos of my family's history around. My favorite personal items all have stories attach to them.

5. My most prized possessions are my Christmas ornaments. My mother started a tradition when I was born that each year I get a new ornament to open on Christmas Eve. I have continued this tradition with my children too, and pretty soon, we may need to have a second tree. We have a very specific way of wrapping them up each year, so I know what year I received them and by who (if different from my parents). Having the Christmas tree up with a lifetime of memories all over its branches, makes me so happy.

6. Other than Christmas, my other favorite holiday is the 4th of July! Probably because I have always spent it in Bar Harbor, ME with my family. When we were little, my cousins and I always dressed in matching outfits for the parade. And now that we are all 30 somethings- sometimes we still do :) Watching the parade, then having a lobster cookout with all of my extended family, and finishing the day with fireworks, makes my heart sing. I look forward to the 4th each year, and I always get very sad if I can't make it up to Bar Harbor for it. I love sharing this tradition with my children now too.

7. I love The Office! I probably know every line, and yet, it still cracks me up every single time I watch it!

8. I love Lilacs, Azaleas, and Rhododendrons because they remind me of my grandmothers. And I am excited to plant them in my garden in our new home

9. I am introverted. And even writing this blog makes me a little uncomfortable. I am much more comfortable behind the camera then in front of it. But I am trying to put myself more out there and out of my comfort area.

10. I never knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. That's a lie, I always knew I wanted to be a mother. It was always my dream. But for work, outside of the home, I really struggled all growing up. Photography kind of fell into my lap. I always had a camera in my hands growing up and I always enjoyed taking pictures. I always loved looking through the family photo albums. I always surrounded myself with framed picture displays of my friends and family. But I never thought of a career in photography. And then I had my first child, and as cliche as it is, that is when my more serious photography journey began. Once I opened my business and developed friendships with other photographers and became part of this amazing community, it really clicked for me. This is where I belong. I love what I do. I love creating beautiful portraits to be cherished by your family for a lifetime. This is what I was meant to do.

So that is me, in a nutshell. And I would love to learn more about you and hopefully one day, photograph your beautiful family!

"We never know the love of a parent, till we become parents ourselves"

-Henry Ward Beecher

One of the greatest honors as a newborn photographer is being able to photograph first time parents. There is something so special about these sessions. Because becoming a parent for the very first time changes your life, it changes who you are, it changes how you see the world. You prepared for months for the day you saw his face and held him in your arms for the first time, and no matter how you imagined it, it was nothing like the actual moment when you saw his face and held him in your arms for the first time. You never knew that you could love like this before. You knew you would love your child, but you had no idea just how powerful that love could be. You quickly realize, your entire life, your entire world, is wrapped up in this tiny person. And from that moment on, nothing would be the same again. For you are now a mother. You look down at your little boy, and you see yourself, you see your husband. And you have never had more purpose in your life before.

I absolutely love how simple and timeless these black and white portraits are of this beautiful family of three! But, what you can't tell from these images is that sweet baby Emmett had the best red hair! I'm a sucker for redheads (and secretly wished I was one), so we had to capture his beautiful head full of red hair for his parents to remember forever. After all, neither of his parents predicted red hair when the imagined what their baby boy would look like. I love fun surprises like that. And I am sure that baby Emmett will be full of surprises for the rest of his life.

" 'Family' isn't defined only by last names or blood; it's defined by commitment and by love. It means showing up when they need it most. It means having each other's backs. It means choosing to love each other even on those days that you struggle to like each other. It means never giving up on each other"

-Dave Willis

I have had the honor of photographing this beautiful family of four, since before they were four! The little guy here, was one of my first newborns I have ever photographed. Over the years, they have entrusted me with their family memories, and for that, I am eternally grateful. I love seeing how much their beautiful boys change and grow over the years, and how their love for each other only grows stronger and deeper. They are a beautiful family inside and out.

This gorgeous night, we headed out to my favorite location for family sessions, 48 Fields. Not only is this location the perfect backdrop with the beautiful fields that I love so much, but it also is the perfect spot for those magical summer sunsets. The ones when the sky seems like it is on fire and it gives off the warmest and most beautiful glow. As much as I love black and white, and it is a signature style of mine, it could never do justice just how beautiful this sunset was this night.

Being a family photographer is such an honor. I love capturing genuine moments of connection between family members, as well as documenting your children exactly how they are today. These are the moments you want to remember forever.

There are days in your life that shakes you to the core, that change who you are, that you know from this day forward, you will never be the same person as you were yesterday. These days are often surrounding birth and death. One of these days, for me, was June 13,2007. 11 years ago. When I was a naive girl in my mid-twenties who thought I knew it all and ready take the world by storm, when one phone call stopped me in my tracks. It was the day I lost my father. It has been 11 years, and I have learned to live in a world without him. It’s no longer a day of sadness,the raw emotion has faded. It’s now a day of reflection. My father & I did not have the best relationship and our mutual stubbornness hindered us from forgiveness and moving on and cost us so much precious time. So my psa today is to forgive, to love, and to be present in the moment. Because tomorrow is never promised. I know that this day, 11 years ago, shaped me in many ways including in my work. I think that is why I have chosen to photograph the beautiful relationship between a parent and a child. Because it is one of the most sacred relationships we will ever have. I’m not sharing this for sympathy, I am just sharing my truth. An inside look into my story. Today, for me, is a day of reflection, of remembrance, and of celebration of all the moments I am blessed to have with the ones I love.

This image of my father & me is my absolute favorite. Taken at our family lake house in Maine. It is one of the most sacred possessions I own.

Quiet Side Photography specializes in simple, organic and timeless maternity, newborn, family and child portraiture in Loudoun County and throughout Northern Virginia. Including the cities of Purcellville, Round Hill, Ashburn, Leesburg, Hamilton, Berryville, Aldie, Fairfax, Reston, Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church, Fairfax County and Washington DC.

I would love to create a custom portrait experience for you and your family. Contact me to begin planning your session.

We are on full-on birthday mode here at my house. Which comes when I have all of my children at the same time of the year.

A few days ago, my son, Andrew, turned four. FOUR! I can not believe it. It feels like yesterday that I met my 9.5 lb baby boy with the most vibrant blue eyes for the first time. And now, he is such a big boy. Time is going by so quickly.

Andrew just finished up his year in pre-school and so excited to start Pre-K in the fall. I think he is most excited about being one of the big kids at school.

Andrew is my goofball. He is always trying to make me laugh and he loves being silly. He is my messiest child. He is typically covered head to toe in dirt and mud. An encounter with Andrew usually means that you too, will end up dirty. Andrew loves to dig in the dirt with his trucks and loves to build epic cities and play police all over the floor. He likes to have blankets over his head and constantly building forts. The boy does not sit still for long. He's always on the move. He is a bit mischievous and keeps me on my toes. But he is a mama's boy. He loves cuddle time and for me to sing to him (which says a lot, because I could be the worst singer on the planet). He's a caring little guy with the biggest heart. He loves when family comes to visit us, which isn't often, but when it happens Andrew will be attached to their legs always loving up on them and will talk about the visit everyday for months.

Andrew has really been interested in building. He loves stealing his brother's legos and making big creations with them. Typically a police station or boat, all with his imagination, and they are really good. He loves playing "city". He gets all his police guys out and all his police cars out and lets his imagination run wild. (The imagination explosion that happens around 4 is my favorite part about this stage).

This past weekend, we threw him a police birthday party. Lucky for us, one of our best friends is a police officer. He kindly put on his uniform and drove his cruiser over. The kids loved being about to check out the cruiser and when the lights & sirens were going. Officer Mike came in and talked to all the kids about what police officers do and why they are important and then all the kids got "sworn in" as actual police officers, themselves. Which was great fun! All the kids had a blast!

Right before his birthday, I took Andrew out for his yearly pictures. He is a typical photographer's kid who doesn't like to look at the camera, and he took a little time to warm up to his mom putting her camera in his face, but I do have to say, I was able to catch his personality at this season of his life perfectly. His mischievous grin, his bright blue eyes, his silliness, this is truly who Andrew is today.

Happy 4th Birthday, sweet boy!

Quiet Side Photography specializes in simple, organic and timeless maternity, newborn, family and child portraiture in Loudoun County and throughout Northern Virginia. Including the cities of Purcellville, Round Hill, Ashburn, Leesburg, Hamilton, Berryville, Aldie, Fairfax, Reston, Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church, Fairfax County and Washington DC.

I would love to create a custom portrait experience for you and your family. Contact me to begin planning your session.

I recently had the honor to photograph this beautiful family of six at one of my favorite locations, 48 Fields. The field was perfect, the sky had a gorgeous glow, and the Smith family was so full of love.

It was one of those perfect summer nights that you dream about all winter long. Although it was a bit muggy, but it didn't seem to bother this gorgeous family. Besides, the field made for awesome grasshopper catching which was the highlight of the evening for the big kids.

I truly love working with families who love each other and have so much fun together. I love capturing the unique bonds between the family members and watching the children's individual personalities come shining through. These are the memories that Mom & Dad will hold close to their hearts forever.

There is something so magical about a sun-filled summer night, children laughing and playing, and the love a family has for each other while memories are being made. Simply magical.

Quiet Side Photography specializes in simple, organic and timeless maternity, newborn, family and child portraiture in Loudoun County and throughout Northern Virginia. Including the cities of Purcellville, Round Hill, Ashburn, Leesburg, Hamilton, Berryville, Aldie, Fairfax, Reston, Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church, Fairfax County and Washington DC.

I would love to create a custom portrait experience for you and your family. Contact me to begin planning your session.

My children's birthdays are always a time of reflection for me. Time is such a funny thing. On the one hand, watching my son grow up has been the single best thing in my life. I love watching him learn, discover and experience new things. But, I hate that time moves so fast. Six years ago, I became a mother. It will always be a day that changed my life. It changed who I am today. It is hard for me to imagine my time before I was his mother. And I'm ok with that. Because becoming his mother has given me so much purpose, it has taught me so much about love, about patience, even about myself more than anything else could.

But six years has gone by way too fast. It seems like yesterday that I held him in my arms for the first time. I now even look back fondly on all those middle of the nights rocking him back to sleep with a colicky baby who wouldn't sleep. All I have to hear is "To make you feel my love" or certain songs by Plumb, and I immediately go back to sitting in my gray rocking chair looking down at the most perfect baby I have ever seen. He grew into my little chunky monkey who loved Curious George and all things construction. I watched him become a big brother twice, I watched him graduate from Preschool, and now about to finish Kindergarten and he is the one reading the bedtime stories.

Today, my sweet boy loves all things Mario. It's amazing to see how happy he is even just seeing something Mario themed in a store or a shirt someone else is wearing. He gets so excited. For his birthday this year, we even threw him an epic Mario birthday bash- complete with a Yoshi Egg Hunt, Pin the Mustache on Mario, and an elaborate scavenger hunt to rescue Princess Peach from the evil Bowser. All the kids had a blast and Chase just kept repeating "I never want my birthday to end, this is the best day". Which, of course, made my mama heart smile.

Chase's 5th year was a big one. After an amazing trip home to Maine, my friend & I surprised Chase and his best friend, Tristan, with a trip to Disney World, as a last hoorah before Kindergarten. Chase continues to talk about this almost everyday. He loved it so much, and I never had more fun at Disney than to go see it through my child's eyes.

This year, Chase also started Kindergarten. It is amazing to me how much he learns. He has grown so much since August when he began his new school adventure.

As much as I want to freeze time, I am so excited to see what year 6 has in store for this boy.

As we do, every year, I took Chase to do his yearly pictures. He looks so big to me this year. But I know I will always cherish these precious images of him. For there is a loose tooth in his mouth, so I know that soon, his smile will never look this way again. He is changing before my eyes. He no longer resembles a baby, he's a kid now, a big boy.

Happy Birthday, Chase! You are loved more than you will ever know.

Quiet Side Photography specializes in simple, organic and timeless maternity, newborn, family and child portraiture in Loudoun County and throughout Northern Virginia. Including the cities of Purcellville, Round Hill, Ashburn, Leesburg, Hamilton, Berryville, Aldie, Fairfax, Reston, Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church, Fairfax County and Washington DC.

I would love to create a custom portrait experience for you and your family. Contact me to begin planning your session.

Hands down, one of my absolute favorite parts of being a Motherhood Photographer, is our little community of extremely talented photographers. I am so fortunate to be a member of a really amazing group of women who are value inspiring each other, helping each other grow, and the overall community rather than competition. We raise each other up, rather than tear each other down.

They are my tribe. And I would not be here without their support, encouragement and the learning and growth we get from listening to other photographer's experiences.

So I was beyond honored when a member of my tribe from Alabama contacted me to photograph her beautiful family when they were here in Leesburg visiting their family.

If you haven't heard of Julie from Paisley Studios Photography, you really should go check out her beautiful work. She is amazingly talented. She is also a superstar Mama to 4 gorgeous children. I honestly do not know how she does it all, but she runs a successful business, home-schools her children, is an amazing wife and mother and handles it all with beauty and grace.

Truly, her reaching out to me to photograph her family was such an honor and it has been one of the most fulfilling sessions I have ever photographed. So much, in fact, that this past Christmas, Julie sent me a text saying that she had one of images from our session hand painted on a Christmas Ornament. This message, truly made my heart sing. How grateful I am that not only will these images be proudly displayed throughout her home, but also as a special family heirloom that will adorn her Christmas Tree each holiday season.

I can not explain how important my tribe is to me on my photography journey. And how incredibly grateful to have beautiful and inspiring women like Julie from Paisley Studios Photography in this amazing community.

Here are some of my favorite images from our session together. Her family is so beautiful, inside and out. And I hope that they venture up to Loudoun County again soon, or I may need to make a trip down to her!

Quiet Side Photography specializes in simple, organic and timeless maternity, newborn, family and child portraiture in Loudoun County and throughout Northern Virginia. Including the cities of Purcellville, Round Hill, Ashburn, Leesburg, Hamilton, Berryville, Aldie, Fairfax, Reston, Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church, Fairfax County and Washington DC.

I would love to create a custom portrait experience for you and your family. Contact me to begin planning your session.

There is just something about that beautiful quote that always gives me goosebumps. It is so true. Motherhood, is the most beautiful gift. Motherhood truly changes us, for the better. As hard as it can be at times, and how we sometimes long for the days before babies, watching our child learn a new skill or hearing them laugh, or snuggling them with them on the couch, there is nothing our "old life" that can quite compare.

Motherhood is full of joy, sacrifice, and unimaginable love.

Motherhood is beautiful.

As a motherhood photographer, I am blessed to capture these tender moments between a mother and her child. Moments that define their relationship and unbreakable bond. Often, motherhood sessions bring tears to my eyes because they are just so beautiful. This particular session was one of those sessions.

Every time I look at these gorgeous images of this beautiful mama and her 2 sons, I get goosebumps. The way she looks at her babies with so much adoration and love, and they way they look back up at her melts my heart.

As a mother of 2 young boys myself, I know that the days are often filled with mess and noise, and a whole lot of rough-housing. Those moments that only a boy mom embraces, because we know that one day our home will be clean and quiet and we will miss all that noise, and mess, and chaos.

But even the rowdiest of boys, simply melt in their mama's embrace. Boys love their mamas, and mother's love their sons more than they will ever know.

Quiet Side Photography specializes in simple, organic and timeless maternity, newborn, family and child portraiture in Loudoun County and throughout Northern Virginia. Including the cities of Purcellville, Round Hill, Ashburn, Leesburg, Hamilton, Berryville, Aldie, Fairfax, Reston, Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church, Fairfax County and Washington DC.

I would love to create a custom portrait experience for you and your family. Contact me to begin planning your session.

The toddler stage can be tough for us mamas. They can bring you to the brink of exhaustion and frustration, and just when you think you have hit your limit, they give you the biggest bear hugs and whisper “you’re the greatest mommy in the whole world”. And just like that, your heart explodes with love. Babies love their mamas so.

Quiet Side Photography specializes in simple, organic and timeless maternity, newborn, family and child portraiture in Loudoun County and throughout Northern Virginia. Including the cities of Purcellville, Round Hill, Ashburn, Leesburg, Hamilton, Berryville, Aldie, Fairfax, Reston, Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church, Fairfax County and Washington DC.

I would love to create a custom portrait experience for you and your family. Contact me to begin planning your session.